Gutter system

ABSTRACT

A gutter system for preventing leaves and other debris from obstructing a gutter is provided, the gutter system including a bracket and a gutter cover. The bracket is removably coupled to a hanger and removably secured to the gutter cover.

CROSS REFERENCE

This application claims the priority of International Application No.PCT/US05/26767, filed on Jul. 27, 2005, which claims the priority ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/591,546, filed Jul. 27, 2004,the terms of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to gutter systems, and moreparticularly, to gutter systems for preventing debris from entering thegutter system.

Many gutter systems have been developed to prevent debris, such asleaves, twigs and paper, from obstructing or clogging the flow of waterthrough the gutters to downspouts that distribute the runoff water awayfrom structures, such as homes, office buildings, etc. For example,gutter screens that act to filter out debris without restricting theflow of water into the gutter have been developed and are commonlyknown. While these systems have been somewhat successful in preventingdebris from entering gutters, a continual need exists for developingnovel approaches for providing better solutions to this problem forhomeowners.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A gutter system for preventing leaves and other debris from obstructinga gutter is provided. The gutter system includes a bracket and a guttercover, the bracket being removably coupled to a hanger and removablysecured to the gutter cover. An alternative embodiment of this inventionis also provided where the bracket and hanger form an integratedstructure or integrated bracket. Yet a further embodiment of the presentinvention is described, which includes an extension member for allowingintegrated brackets to fit gutters of varying depths.

A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, propertiesand relationships of the invention will be obtained from the followingdetailed description and accompanying drawings which set forthillustrative embodiments that are indicative of the various ways inwhich the principles of the invention may be employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had topreferred embodiments shown in the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a prior art gutter system,which is attached to a structure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a gutter system employing agutter cover;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of a gutter cover;

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view of the gutter cover shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 illustrates a front view of the gutter cover shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 illustrates a top view of the gutter cover shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 illustrates a rear view of the gutter cover shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of a sheet of material prior to its beingformed into a gutter cover;

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of a first embodiment of a gutterbracket;

FIG. 10 illustrates a side view of the gutter bracket shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 illustrates a front view of the gutter bracket shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 illustrates a top view of the gutter bracket shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of a second embodiment of agutter bracket;

FIG. 14 illustrates a side view of the gutter bracket shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 illustrates a front view of the gutter bracket shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 illustrates a top view of the gutter bracket shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 17 illustrates a rear view of the gutter bracket shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 18 illustrates a perspective view of an extension member capable ofbeing coupled to the gutter bracket shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 19 illustrates a side view of the extension member shown in FIG.18;

FIG. 20 illustrates a front view of the extension member shown in FIG.18;

FIG. 21 illustrates a top view of the extension member shown in FIG. 18;

FIG. 22 illustrates a rear view of the extension member shown in FIG.18;

FIG. 23 illustrates a perspective view of the extension member shown inFIG. 18 coupled with the gutter bracket shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 24 illustrates a perspective view of an inside corner mullion;

FIG. 25 illustrates a side view of the corner mullion shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 26 illustrates a front view of the corner mullion shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 27 illustrates a top view of the corner mullion shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 28 illustrates a rear view of the corner mullion shown in FIG. 24;

FIG. 29 illustrates a perspective view of an outside corner mullion;

FIG. 30 illustrates a side view of the corner mullion shown in FIG. 29;

FIG. 31 illustrates a front view of the corner mullion shown in FIG. 29;

FIG. 32 illustrates a top view of the corner mullion shown in FIG. 29;

FIG. 33 illustrates a rear view of the corner mullion shown in FIG. 29;

FIG. 34 illustrates a perspective view of a gutter end cap;

FIG. 35 illustrates a side view of the gutter end cap shown in FIG. 34;

FIG. 36 illustrates a front view of the gutter end cap shown in FIG. 34;

FIG. 37 illustrates a top view of the gutter end cap shown in FIG. 34;and

FIG. 38 illustrates a rear view of the gutter end cap shown in FIG. 34.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals refer tolike elements, there is illustrated a gutter system 10, which isattached to a structure 20. As particularly illustrated in FIGS. 2through 38, the gutter system 10 is generally comprised of a gutter 30,a hanger 40 and a gutter cover 50.

As shown in FIG. 1, for attaching prior art gutter systems to astructure, a hanger 40 is positioned transverse to the gutter 30 and anail, screw or other attachment means is inserted through gutter 30,hanger 40 and facia 22 of structure 20. The combination of theattachment means, hanger 40 and facia 22 also act to strengthen thestructural integrity of the gutter 30. Gutters 30 generally consist of afront wall 32, a bottom wall 34 and a rear wall 36, where the rear wallinterfaces with the facia 22 of structure 20.

To prevent debris, such as leaves, twigs and paper from entering andbeing lodged within gutter 30, a gutter cover 50 may be provided. Asshown in FIG. 2, the gutter cover may include a lip section 52, a middlesection 54 and a back section 56. It should be understood by those withskill in the art that the gutter cover 50 blocks substantially all ofgutter opening 38. Runoff water from structure 20 is slowed by guttercover 50 in order to allow surface tension of the water as it flows overthe gutter cover 50 to cause the water to adhere to the lip section 52and be redirected into gutter 30 without allowing debris to enter gutter30. For slowing the flow of runoff water from the structure andfacilitating the surface tension effect of the water, a protrusion 54 a,as shown in FIGS. 3 through 7, may be provided that extends along theentire width of gutter cover 50 in a direction that is substantiallyparallel to gutter 30. Protrusion 54 a is preferably located on themiddle section 54, but may also be located at different points on thegutter cover 50 as well. The middle section 54 of gutter cover 50 alsoincludes a fold 58, which will be discussed in detail below.

As gutter covers 50 generally come in five or ten foot sections, moststructures will require several sections of gutter covers 50 toaccommodate each side of the structure 20. To prevent leakage at theseams that adjoin the respective gutter covers 50, a notch 59 may beprovided on each gutter cover 50 during its manufacture similar to thenotch 59 on the unformed gutter cover 60 shown in FIG. 8. Further, oncethe unformed gutter cover 60 is shaped into a completed gutter cover 50,as depicted in FIG. 3, the notch 59 becomes covered by fold 58. Notch 59allows two gutter covers 50 to be removably coupled to one another bypositioning a portion of one gutter cover 50 within the area created bynotch 59 in the other gutter cover 50. In this manner, a small portionof the second gutter cover 50 will overlap a small portion of the firstgutter cover 50, thus preventing leakage. Although the shape of notch 59shown in FIG. 8 is generally rectangular, it should be understood thatother shapes may also be employed, as long as one gutter cover 50 isable to be fitted within an adjoining gutter cover 50 to create anaesthetically pleasing seal or joint between the two gutter covers.While gutter cover 50 is preferably comprised of aluminum, gutter cover50 may also be made of other metals, vinyl materials, plastic or anyother material which is light-weight, inexpensive and capable of actingas a rigid support member.

To provide structural support to gutter 30 and gutter cover 50, abracket 100 may be provided. FIGS. 9 through 12 depict a firstembodiment of bracket 100. Bracket 100 may be further comprised of pins102, a base member 104, a front member 106, a rear member 108 and anintermediate member 110. For attaching bracket 100 to prior art hangers40, such as the hanger 40 shown in FIG. 1, pins 102 may be designed tocorrespond to apertures 42 (not shown) that are formed within standardhangers 40. While pins 102 are designed to be snap-fit within apertures42, it should be appreciated that there are other ways in which thebracket 100 may be removably secured to hanger 40 and the descriptionherein with respect to pins 102 should not be viewed as limiting thescope of this application. For example, screws or other fastening meansmay also be used.

For strengthening the structural integrity of the bracket 100, a centralwall portion 122 that fills in the area between the front member 106,intermediate member 110, rear member 108 and the base member 104 mayalso be provided. The central wall portion 122 may also include aplurality of apertures for allowing objects to extend transverselythrough the bracket 100 or to be attached to the bracket 100. Forexample, a first aperture 124 may be provided to receive a heatingmember, such as a wire or coil, that may be run perpendicularly to thebracket 100 to counteract gutters being blocked by ice or snow. Inaddition, a second aperture (not shown) may be provided to receive anattachment means, such as straps. The strap may be used to connect thebracket 100 to the structure by fastening one end of the strap to thestructure 20 and tying the other end to the second aperture of thebracket 100.

As shown in FIG. 9, front member 106 is formed to match the geometry ofthe lip section 52 of gutter cover 50. This provides structural supportfor gutter cover 50 and prevents the collapse of gutter cover 50 withinthe opening 38 of gutter 30, as a result of heavy loading by snow orother debris. To provide additional structural support for gutter cover50, intermediate member 110 may also be configured to mirror thegeometry of the gutter cover 50. Bracket 100 may also be removablycoupled to gutter cover 50 by inserting coupling member 112, which actsas a male member, into the area formed by fold 56, which acts as thefemale member.

In addition to increasing the structural support for gutter cover 50,coupling member 112 also acts to prevent upward force on the guttercover 50 from peeling the gutter cover 50 back and thereby potentiallyallowing debris to enter the gutter system 10, and to form an integratedgutter system 10 that links gutter 30, gutter covers 50, brackets 100and facia 22 together. Moreover, this is accomplished without requiringscrews or other fasteners to attach gutter cover 50 to bracket 100,which avoids requiring unnecessary holes to accommodate such fastenersand potential leakages caused by such holes. Bracket 100 may be formedby using standard injection molding techniques. While the bracket 100 ispreferably comprised of injection molded plastic, bracket 100 may alsobe made of other metals, vinyl materials, plastic or any other materialthat is light-weight, inexpensive and capable of acting as a rigidsupport member. Bracket 100 may also assume varying shapes andthicknesses depending on the environment with which it is being usedwithout departing from the scope of this invention.

Coupling member 112 also facilitates the installation of gutter cover 50by establishing a set distance between the lip section 52 of guttercover 50 and the front wall 32 of gutter 30. This is possible becausethe distance between the lip section 52 of gutter cover 50 and fold 58is a predetermined distance and because the location of the apertures 42on hanger 40 within which bracket 100 may be placed is alsopredetermined. Hence, by coupling bracket 100 to hanger 40 and couplingmember 112 of bracket 100 to gutter cover 50, lip section 52 of guttercover 50 will always be positioned in substantially the same positionand distance with respect to the front wall 32 of gutter 30. This canalso be achieved with other embodiments of bracket 100, discussed below,since such embodiments would also provide a fixed position for couplingmember 112 in relation to the front wall 32 of gutter 30. Although theforegoing embodiment of the present invention preferably includes acoupling member 112 for attaching bracket 100 to cover 50, it should beunderstood by those with skill in the art that bracket 100 may also beattached to cover 50 by other means, such as fasteners, snap fittings orsimilar means.

FIGS. 13 through 17 depict a second embodiment of bracket 200, which isdesigned to operate independently and without any interaction withhangers or similar means. More specifically, bracket 200 generallyincludes base member 204, a front member 206, a rear member 208 andintermediate member 210 and acts to integrate the functionality providedby bracket 100 and hanger 40 (discussed above). For supporting thebracket within the gutter 30, base member 204 also includes a lowersupport member 220 and an upper support member 216. The lower supportmember 220 is designed to be positioned flush against rear wall 36 andthe upper support member 216 is designed to be removably coupled togutter 30. Intermediate support member 218 may also be included toincrease the structural support of bracket 200. The combination of theupper support member 216, the base member 204 and the rear supportmember 220 act to replace prior art hangers 40 and to provide improvedstructural support for gutter 30. For strengthening the structuralintegrity of the bracket 200, a central wall portion 222 that fills inthe area between the front member 206, intermediate member 210, rearmember 208 and the base member 204 may also be provided. The centralwall portion 222 may also include a plurality of apertures for allowingobjects to extend transversely through the bracket 200 or to be attachedto the bracket 200. For example, a first aperture 224 may be provided toreceive a heating member, such as a wire or coil, that may be runperpendicularly to the bracket 200 to counteract gutters being blockedby ice or snow. In addition, a second aperture 226 may be provided toreceive an attachment means, such as straps. The strap may be used toconnect the bracket 200 to the structure by fastening one end of thestrap to the structure 20 and tying the other end to the second aperture226 of the bracket 200.

As shown in FIGS. 9 and 13, front and rear members 206, 208 and couplingmember 212 operate similar to front and rear members 106, 108 andcoupling member 112, which are described in connection with the firstembodiment above. FIG. 13 also shows a diagonal bore 214 for receiving anail (not shown) for securing bracket 200 to the facia 22 of structure20. Although the diagonal bore 214 is preferably located in intermediatemember 210 and extends to lower support member 220, it should beappreciated that the diagonal bore 214 may be located differently andstill achieve its intended purpose. It should also be appreciated thatnail may also be replaced by a screw or similar fastening means forsecuring the bracket 200 and gutter 30 to structure 20. Bracket 200 maybe formed by using standard injection molding techniques. While bracket200 is preferably comprised of injection molded plastic, bracket 200 mayalso be made of other metals, vinyl materials, plastic or any othermaterial which is light-weight, inexpensive and capable of acting as arigid support member. Bracket 200 may also assume varying shapes andthicknesses depending on the environment with which it is being usedwithout departing from the scope of this invention.

Since gutters 30 are available in different standard sizes (i.e., withdifferent depths), an extension member 300 may be provided. To allowextension member 300 to be connected to lower support member 220,extension member 300 may be designed to mirror the outer periphery oflower support member 220 of bracket 200, as shown in FIGS. 18 through22. While it is preferred that extension member 300 is approximately oneinch deep, extension member 300 may assume varying depths to accommodatedifferently sized gutters.

Moreover, for attaching extension member 300 to bracket 200, extensionmember 300 may be removably connected to lower support member 220 by asnap fitting. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the outer periphery ofthe lower support member 220 may include two sets of notch portions 222a, 222 b and 224 a, 224 b located on opposed sides of lower supportmember 220 and on the upper and lower portions thereof. As shown in FIG.18, extension member 300 may include corresponding snap fittings 302 a,302 b and 306 a, 306 b, which each include a barbed portion 304 a, 304 band 308 a, 308 b that acts to releasably secure extension member 300 tolower support member 220. It should be appreciated that the snapfittings 302 a, 302 b and 306 a, 306 b are flexible and therefore,capable of pushing outward in order to allow barbed portions 304 a, 304b and 308 a, 308 b to move past the edge of notched portions 222 a, 222b and 224 a, 224 b. Once the snap fittings 302 a, 302 b and 306 a, 306 bmove past the barbed portions 304 a, 304 b, and 308 a and 308 b, thetension created by this flexing will force the snap fittings 302 a, 302b and 306 a, 306 b back toward the lower support member 220 and securethe extension member 300 to the lower support member 220.

Extension member 300 may be formed by using standard injection moldingtechniques. While extension member 300 is preferably comprised ofinjection molded plastic, extension member 300 may also be made of othermetals, vinyl materials, plastic or any other material which islight-weight, inexpensive and capable of acting as a rigid supportmember. Extension member 300 may also assume varying shapes andthicknesses depending on the environment with which it is being usedwithout departing from the scope of this invention. For example,extension member 300 may be of a different size in order to allowbracket 200 to be extended by the desired length. Because the peripheryof extension member 300 mirrors that of lower support member 220, it mayeven be possible to couple more than one extension member 300 to bracket200, i.e., by coupling an extension member 300 to another extensionmember 300, as needed. It should also be appreciated that the geometryof the lower support member 220 may be altered so long as the extensionmember 300 is able to be removably attached thereto and that other meansfor removably attaching extension member 300 to bracket 200 may also beused.

It is common in the industry for structures such as structure 20 to forminside and outside corners, rather than have just straight lines.Gutters, such as gutter 30, must track these inside and outside corners.In order to allow the present invention to also track any inside andoutside corners formed on structure 20, an inside corner mullion 400 andan outside corner mullion 450 may be provided. As shown in FIGS. 24through 28 and FIGS. 29 through 33, each of these mullions 400, 450 aredesigned to join two abutting gutter covers 50, where the gutter coversare positioned at different angles with respect to one another. Thecorner mullions 400, 450 each mirror the geometry of the edge 50 a ofthe respective gutter cover 50 and include a channel 402 a, 402 b, 452a, 452 b for receiving the edge 50 a of the respective gutter cover 50.While each of the corner mullions 400, 450 require edge 50 a to be cutat a specific angle, it should be appreciated that the required anglemay be varied by providing corner mullions 400, 450 with varying angles.Corner mullions 400, 450 may be formed by using standard injectionmolding techniques. While corner mullions 400, 450 are preferablycomprised of injection molded plastic, corner mullions 400, 450 may alsobe made of other metals, vinyl materials, plastic or any other materialwhich is light-weight, inexpensive and capable of acting as a rigidsupport member. Corner mullions 400, 450 may also assume varying shapesand thicknesses depending on the environment with which it is being usedwithout departing from the scope of this invention.

For sealing the ends of both gutters 30 and gutter covers 50, an end cap500 may be provided. This is accomplished by providing an end cap 500that includes a gutter cap portion 502 and a gutter cover portion 504.As shown in FIGS. 34 through 38, to attach end cap 500 to gutters 30,the gutter cap portion 502 may also include a gutter cap fold 508. Inaddition, fold 508 may also include a plurality of holes 510 forreceiving fasteners (not shown) for attaching gutter cap 500 to gutter30. End cap 500 may be formed by using standard injection moldingtechniques and may be made of materials, such as plastic, metals, vinylmaterials, plastic or any other material which is light-weight,inexpensive and capable of acting as a rigid support member. End cap 500may also assume varying shapes and thicknesses depending on theenvironment with which it is being used without departing from the scopeof this invention. Although FIGS. 34 through 38 show a pair of end caps500, which are mirror images of each other and which form an integralunit, this unit may be cut into two end caps on-site or prior todistribution. It is preferred, however, that two end caps 500 bemanufactured at a time.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been described indetail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and alternatives to those details could be developed inlight of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, theparticular arrangement disclosed is meant to be illustrative only andnot limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given thefull breadth of the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.

1. A gutter system having a gutter attached to a fascia board of astructure, the gutter further including a front wall, a bottom wall, arear wall and a gutter opening and a hanger positioned perpendicular tothe fascia board, comprising: a bracket coupled to the hanger, thebracket including a coupling member; and a gutter cover positioned tocover the gutter opening, including a portion of the gutter cover thatforms a fold; wherein the gutter cover is coupled to the bracket byinserting the coupling member of the bracket within the fold.
 2. Thegutter system as set forth in claim 1, wherein the gutter cover furthercomprises a front section, a middle section and a back section, whereina lip section is integrally formed by the front section and extends intothe gutter opening.
 3. The gutter system as set forth in claim 2,wherein the gutter cover further comprises at least one protrusion. 4.The gutter system as set forth in claim 3, wherein the at least oneprotrusion extends from the gutter cover enough to impede water flow tothe gutter.
 5. The gutter system as set forth in claim 2, wherein thebracket further comprises a front member, a base member, an intermediatemember, a rear member and a central wall portion, wherein the couplingmember is integral to and extends from the intermediate member.
 6. Thegutter system as set forth in claim 5, wherein the front member isformed to cooperate with and provide structural support to the lipsection.
 7. The gutter system as set forth in claim 6, wherein the basemember includes a plurality of integrally formed pins, wherein thebracket is secured to the hanger by inserting the pins into aperturesformed on the hangar.
 8. The gutter system as set forth in claim 7,wherein the central wall portion comprises at least one aperture.
 9. Agutter system having a gutter attached to a fascia board of a structure,the gutter further including a front wall, a bottom wall, a rear walland a gutter opening, comprising: a bracket positioned perpendicular tothe front wall of the gutter for attaching the gutter to the fasciaboard, the bracket including a coupling member; and a gutter coverpositioned to cover the gutter opening, including a portion of the coverthat forms a fold; wherein the gutter cover is coupled to the bracket byinserting the coupling member of the bracket within the fold.
 10. Thegutter system as set forth in claim 9, wherein the bracket furthercomprises: a base member having a first side and a second side; a frontmember integrally formed on the base member and extending from the firstside thereof; proximate to the front wall; a rear member integrallyformed on the base member and extending from the first side thereof,proximate to the rear wall; a central wall portion integrally formedfrom the base member, the front member and the rear member andpositioned between the front member and the rear member; an intermediatemember integrally formed on the front member, the central wall portionand the rear member, wherein the coupling member is integral to andextends from the intermediate member; a lower support member integrallyformed on the base member and extending from the second side thereofproximate to the rear wall, wherein the lower support member engages thefascia.
 11. The gutter system as set forth in claim 10, wherein anintermediate support member is formed on the second side of the basemember and extends between the base member and the lower support member.12. The gutter system as set forth in claim 10, further comprising anextension member positioned between the lower support member and thefascia, wherein the extension member is removably secured to the lowersupport member.
 13. The gutter system as set forth in claim 12, whereinthe extension member is removably secured to the lower support member bya plurality of snap fittings.
 14. The gutter system as set forth inclaim 12, wherein a plurality of extension members are removably securedto each other and positioned between the lower support member and thefascia.
 15. The gutter system as set forth in claim 10, wherein thegutter cover further comprises a front section, a middle section, a backsection, and at least one edge, wherein the front section forms a lipsection that extends into the gutter opening.
 16. The gutter system asset forth in claim 15, wherein the front member of the bracket comprisesa front section that cooperates with the lip section.
 17. The guttersystem as set forth in claim 15, wherein the gutter cover furthercomprises a protrusion formed on the middle section, wherein theprotrusion extends substantially the entire length of the gutter cover.18. The gutter system as set forth in claim 15, wherein the intermediatemember of the bracket abuts the gutter cover.
 19. A gutter system foruse with a gutter attached to a fascia board of a structure, a hangerpositioned perpendicular to the fascia board, a gutter attached to thefascia board, the gutter including a front wall, a bottom wall, a rearwall and a gutter opening, and a first and a second gutter coverextending over the gutter opening, each gutter cover having a lipsection and at least one edge, the gutter system comprising comprising:a corner mullion comprising: a first half having a first front section,a first middle section, a first rear section and a first edge, whereinthe first front section is formed to engage and cooperate with the lipsection, and wherein the first edge forms a first channel capable ofreceiving an edge of the first gutter cover; and a second half having asecond front section, a second middle section, a second rear section anda second edge, wherein the second front section is formed to engage andcooperate with the lip section, and wherein the second edge forms asecond channel capable of receiving an edge of the second gutter cover;wherein the first half and the second half are joined at an anglerelative to one another; and wherein the corner mullion is positionedbetween the two gutter covers, which are adjacent and at an angledrelation to one another.
 20. A gutter system for use with a structurehaving a fascia, a gutter engaged to the fascia and having a rear wallproximate to the fascia, a bottom wall integral with and extendingperpendicularly from the rear wall, a front wall integral with andextending from the bottom wall parallel with the rear wall, and a gutteropening, the gutter system comprising: a plurality of gutter coversextending at least partially over the gutter opening, wherein each ofthe gutter covers comprises a first section, a middle section, a backsection and a fold formed thereon, wherein the front section of eachgutter cover forms a lip section that extends into the gutter opening,and wherein a protrusion is formed on the middle section and extends thewidth of the gutter cover; and a plurality of brackets engaged to eachof the gutter covers, wherein each of the brackets comprises a basemember, a front member extending from the base member proximate to thefront wall of the gutter, a rear member extending from the base memberproximate to the rear wall of the gutter, and an intermediate memberpositioned between the front member and the rear member, theintermediate member further including a coupling member, wherein thebracket is removably secured to the gutter cover by inserting thecoupling member within the fold.
 21. The gutter system of claim 20,further comprising a plurality of hangars coupling the gutter to thefascia, wherein each of the brackets is removably secured to a hangar.22. The gutter system of claim 21, wherein each of the brackets isremovably secured to a hangar by a plurality of pins formed on each basemember of each bracket.
 23. The gutter system of claim 20, wherein thebracket further comprises a lower support member integrally formed withthe base member and extending therefrom on the side opposite the rearmember, wherein the lower support member is proximate to the rear walland engaged to fascia.
 24. The gutter system of claim 23, furthercomprising an extension member positioned between the lower supportmember and the rear wall, wherein the extension member is removablysecured to the lower support member.
 25. The gutter system of claim 24,wherein the extension member is removably secured to the lower supportmember by a plurality of snap fittings.